Ako is the concept of reciprocal learning which is central to education in te ao Māori. The word can be used to refer to both teaching and learning, with both students and their tutors considered to be equal participants in the process of fostering knowledge and building a collective understanding. It’s that principle which guides this series - each of the three individuals profiled has a personal reason for wanting to learn te reo Māori, but each sees their practice as a part of something fundamentally larger.
For Simon Day, it’s a way to give his children a connection to the culture of their tīpuna. For Jacinta Gulasekharam, it’s honouring a personal responsibility to the language. And for Haider Khan, it’s about fostering a genuine connection to the whenua that he now calls home. In our new series Ako we introduce these three New Zealanders, drawing a vivid picture of each of their te reo Māori journeys and examining why learning the language is so important to them.
Created by The Spinoff in partnership with Spark NZ.
21 сен 2020
